The evolution of the digital camera is closely allied with, and in fact even a product of the evolution of recorded television images, utilizing magnetic tape. In 1951, the first Video-Tape Recorder was invented, using basic magnetic tape for the recording of and replaying of analog video, an application which was readily adapted for use in the context of a camera, seeing as a picture can be simply thought of as a high quality single frame from within a video.
It was not until the 1960's however that this technology was adapted for use with digital signals. In the late part of the decade, NASA successfully used a small computer to translate and transmit an analog image in the form of a digital signal, with the intention of using the new process to transmit images taken in space back to Earth, both for the early manned space missions as well as the later space probes.
Images such as this, from Apollo astronauts, were among the first digital images.
Government applications were the primary use of digital imaging in the 60's and early 70's, with spy satellites coming into ready use. Eventually however, as all technology eventually does, the process of digital imaging was adopted by the private sector, which by the early 70's had begun to adapt it for use in the first true digital cameras.
Applications:
People have been using the digital camera for many different reasons over the years. People use it for many things including
journalism, news, art, personal photography, and photo manipulation. People use it in journalism to accurately describe what they are writing about in an article. A picture can go a long way when trying to depict something. This is even more true for the news because there are always pictures for things like crime scenes, car accidents, or even some good deeds.
Art is another way that people use digital cameras to express themselves. Just because it is not a drawing, sculpture, or some other type of typical art does not mean that a simple photo cannot be as well. Personal photography is one of the largest uses of the digital camera. People use this method for things like family photos, vacations, parties, etc. Photo manipulation is also a very unique way to use digital cameras.
How they store pictures:
Older generations of digital cameras had fixed storage where you would have to plug in a cable to a computer to get the data off of it. Newer generations have adopted the use of older cable methods such as USB or SCSI connectors and removable storage such as flash memory and memory cards. Most digital cameras store images as JPEG images or TIFF images. Higher end cameras support raw images formats.
Kodak Digital Camera
[December 1975]
The Kodak Digicam Prototype, circa 1975
The Kodak "Digicam" was the worlds very first true digital camera. It took 23 seconds to record a 100-by-100 pixel (0.01 megapixel) image to cassette tape. Images could be viewed by putting the cassette tapes into a highly specialized tape player that was hooked up to a TV set. It wasn't until the early 1990's after the introduction of Solid-state memory that digital photo technology started to take off.
The Apple QuickTake 100
[Febuary 17, 1994]
The Apple QuickTake 100 Febuary 17, 1994
The Apple QuickTake100 ($749) was branded by the first camera to work with a home computer. It sported a serial cable input that allowed you to transfer the pictures to your computer. The Pictures were saved as QuickTake files on solid state memory and could be converted to Tiff, PICT, and JPEG, on your mac. The Camera's 1MB solid state memory card allowed you to store up to 25 of the 320 x 240 pixel (0.3 megapixel) COLOR images that the camera would take.
The Casio QV-10
[March 1995]
Cassio QV-10 released in March 1995
The Casio QV-10 was the first consumer-grade camera to come with an LCD for previewing or viewing photos. This revolutionary camera cost $833 at the time. It was first released in Japan and it marked the first time that consumers would be able to view and delete photos on the go.
Tags: journalism, news, art, personal photography, photo manipulation
The History of Digital Cameras
Background:
The evolution of the digital camera is closely allied with, and in fact even a product of the evolution of recorded television images, utilizing magnetic tape. In 1951, the first Video-Tape Recorder was invented, using basic magnetic tape for the recording of and replaying of analog video, an application which was readily adapted for use in the context of a camera, seeing as a picture can be simply thought of as a high quality single frame from within a video.
It was not until the 1960's however that this technology was adapted for use with digital signals. In the late part of the decade, NASA successfully used a small computer to translate and transmit an analog image in the form of a digital signal, with the intention of using the new process to transmit images taken in space back to Earth, both for the early manned space missions as well as the later space probes.
Government applications were the primary use of digital imaging in the 60's and early 70's, with spy satellites coming into ready use. Eventually however, as all technology eventually does, the process of digital imaging was adopted by the private sector, which by the early 70's had begun to adapt it for use in the first true digital cameras.
Applications:
People have been using the digital camera for many different reasons over the years. People use it for many things including
journalism, news, art, personal photography, and photo manipulation. People use it in journalism to accurately describe what they are writing about in an article. A picture can go a long way when trying to depict something. This is even more true for the news because there are always pictures for things like crime scenes, car accidents, or even some good deeds.
Art is another way that people use digital cameras to express themselves. Just because it is not a drawing, sculpture, or some other type of typical art does not mean that a simple photo cannot be as well. Personal photography is one of the largest uses of the digital camera. People use this method for things like family photos, vacations, parties, etc. Photo manipulation is also a very unique way to use digital cameras.
How they store pictures:
Older generations of digital cameras had fixed storage where you would have to plug in a cable to a computer to get the data off of it. Newer generations have adopted the use of older cable methods such as USB or SCSI connectors and removable storage such as flash memory and memory cards. Most digital cameras store images as JPEG images or TIFF images. Higher end cameras support raw images formats.
Kodak Digital Camera
[December 1975]
The Kodak "Digicam" was the worlds very first true digital camera. It took 23 seconds to record a 100-by-100 pixel (0.01 megapixel) image to cassette tape. Images could be viewed by putting the cassette tapes into a highly specialized tape player that was hooked up to a TV set. It wasn't until the early 1990's after the introduction of Solid-state memory that digital photo technology started to take off.
The Apple QuickTake 100
[Febuary 17, 1994]
The Apple QuickTake100 ($749) was branded by the first camera to work with a home computer. It sported a serial cable input that allowed you to transfer the pictures to your computer. The Pictures were saved as QuickTake files on solid state memory and could be converted to Tiff, PICT, and JPEG, on your mac. The Camera's 1MB solid state memory card allowed you to store up to 25 of the 320 x 240 pixel (0.3 megapixel) COLOR images that the camera would take.
The Casio QV-10
[March 1995]
The Casio QV-10 was the first consumer-grade camera to come with an LCD for previewing or viewing photos. This revolutionary camera cost $833 at the time. It was first released in Japan and it marked the first time that consumers would be able to view and delete photos on the go.
Tags: journalism, news, art, personal photography, photo manipulation
Related Links:
Michael's World-Famous Camera Museum35 years of the Digital Camera
Digital Camera Timeline (1975-2010)
How Stuff Works - The Digital Camera
Inventors.about.com - Photography
Group members:
Nick SegalRoss Nevergold
Benjamin Thomas
Dakota Morrison